Memorial to the Missing of the Naval Auxiliary Personnel of the Second World War – Liverpool, UK - Maritime Monuments and Memorials on Waymarking.com

Being an island it was crucial that the United Kingdom was able to keep itself supplied via sea. A system of convoys was devised which ships of the Royal Navy then defended against attack especially from submarines.

The Royal Navy needed to supplement their crew by using men from the Merchant Navy. These men kept their normal pay and conditions but were subject to direct command from the Royal Navy officers. Liverpool was the base for these merchant seamen.

Whilst on active duty 1390 of these men lost their lives and this memorial remembers the contribution they made to the war effort. The memorial has a number of nautical themes within it as is appropriate for such a memorial.

The memorial has a nautical theme, the central part being a column in the shape of a lighthouse, complete with glass lenses. At the base of the lighthouse is a 16 point mariners’ compass rose. The cardinal points are engraved in the paving around the rose.

The lighthouse stands on platform accessed via 6 stone steps, and on either side of the steps are gate posts surmounted by white stone globes. The right hand globe represents the heavens and has the signs of the zodiac raised on the surface of the globe. The left hand globe is an earth globe with the continents and land masses shown as at the time of the war, carved in relief.

The Imperial (later Commonwealth) War Graves Commission ran a national competition for architects who had served in the forces to design a memorial with a budget set at £5,000. The first prize was awarded to Stanley Harold Smith and Charles Frederick Blythin. It was unveiled by Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Cunningham on 12 November 1952. It became a grade II listed building on 5th March 2010, the English Heritage Building ID is 504858. Fittingly the memorial is near Liverpool Pier Head near to the estuary of the River Mersey, right at the water’s edge.

The light house part of the memorial has the following inscription on it.

THESE OFFICERS
AND MEN OF THE
MERCHANT NAVY
DIED WHILE
SERVING WITH
THE ROYAL NAVY
AND HAVE NO
GRAVE BUT
THE SEA.
1939- 1945

The memorial is number 52562 in the United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials. http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/server/show/conMemorial.52562/fromUkniwmSearch/1

Relevent website: [Web Link] List if there are any visiting hours: Being on the waterfront the memorial can be visited at any time. Entrance fees (if any): None Date dedicated: 11/12/1952 Sponsor(s): Imperial War Graves Commission Parking coordinates: Not Listed

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